2012

Nasima Rahmani
Master of Laws (2007)

Nasima Rahmani is the Director of the Women's Empowerment Centre at the Gawharshad Institute of Higher Education, Kabul: Afghanistan. In this role she works as a lecturer and advocate. Nasima’s journey started with a Master of Laws at UTS, which she commenced with the aid of a scholarship through the IDP Peace Scholarship Program, and completed with funding from UTS:LAW.

In her current role at Gawharshad, Nasima supports female students and educates the student body on empowerment issues. Gawharshad is currently offering Bachelors' Degrees in the following programs: Law, Political Sciences, Economics, Social Sciences, Political Sociology and Education Management.

Nasima was one of the first Peace Scholars from Afghanistan whose scholarship was made possible through a collaboration between the Peace Scholarship Program and the United Nations Development Fund for Women Australia (UNIFEM) - now UN Women. After completing the final semester of her Master of Laws at UTS and achieving outstanding results, she returned to Afghanistan to promote gender equality and education for Afghani women.

Nasima says "My goals are to institutionalise gender studies in the higher education system in Afghanistan, and establish a women's college at Gawharshad that will offer further opportunities to women whose education has been interrupted by culture, war, economic conditions and children. I believe education is the first step to empowerment." Of the 1,100 students enrolled at Gawharshad currently, 35 per cent are female, which is unique to Gawharshad due to the scholarships it offers to women. In government universities, the percentage of female students is below 22 per cent.

Nasima Rahmani is awarded the UTS Alumni Award for Excellence 2012 - Faulty of Law for her significant contribution to ensuring the human rights of women in Afghanistan, and for widening access to education for Afghani women.

Gillian Mears
Bachelor of Arts in Communication (1986)

Gillian Mears is an acclaimed Australian short story writer and novelist who has won numerous prizes for her work. Her books include Ride a Cock Horse, Fineflour, The Mint Lawn, The Grass Sister and A Map of the Gardens.

Originally from New South Wales, Gillian spent some years recently travelling and camping in a converted ambulance. Her essay 'Alive in Ant and Bee' captures the highlights of that time. She then settled in Adelaide to complete her brilliant novel, Foal's Bread. This won the 2012 Australian Literary Society's Gold Medal, the Prime Minister's Award for Fiction and The Age Fiction Book of the Year. The novel was also shortlisted for numerous awards, including the India Awards 2012, Fiction category; 2012 Barbara Jefferis Award; 2012 Miles Franklin Literary Award; 2012 Nita B. Kibble Award; and the ABIA [Australian Book Industry Awards) Book of the Year 2012.

Gillian brings an incredible beauty to the written word with her sensual, lyrical style which manages to capture a unique Australian vision. Her deft creation of characters and landscape make her stories sing and have brought her international and local acclaim.

Gillian Mears is awarded the UTS Alumni Award for Excellence 2012 - Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences for her outstanding achievements and contribution to Australian literature.

Abdul Karim Hekmat
Bachelor of Arts in Communications (Social Inquiry) (2007), Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Communication (2009)

Since graduating from UTS Abdul Karim Hekmat has been working at Fairfield Migrant Resource Centre, assisting young people of refugee backgrounds with their settlements by linking them to schools, education and sporting clubs.

In this role, he has been involved in advocacy in relation to refugee youth and he has participated in numerous inter-agency meetings and networks to represent the needs of young people. He has also run workshops for young refugee people to help them express themselves through art.

Abdul identifies the problems for refugees as relating not only to settlement, but also to policy issues and misinformation relating to refugees. He has written articles on refugee issues to provide an alternative narrative; these have been published in The Age, The Australian, National Times, The Drum and online opinion forums.

He has participated in numerous conferences, forums, media and the Sydney Writers· Festival to speak about refugee rights. Abdul has written a first-hand report 'Unsafe Haven; Hazaras in Afghanistan and Pakistan' that is being used as a reference for the assessment of refugee applications from Afghanistan.

Abdul has also enjoyed success with an exhibition: he photographed 'Unsafe Haven: Hazaras in Afghanistan,' which was first exhibited at UTS in October 2011 and since then has been touring the country. The exhibition has received very positive comments from the public and has been covered extensively by media such as Radio Australia, Radio National, ABC TV, The Age, Sydney Morning Herald and Sunday Times in Perth. One of the photos exhibited in 'Unsafe Haven· was short-listed for the Heartland Refugee Fine Arts Prize.

The work Abdul does with refugee young people, especially using sport as a settlement tool, won a Humanitarian Award from the Refugee Council of Australia in 2010. Abdul was selected as a Refugee Ambassador by the Refugee Council of Australia for Refugee Week in June 2012 for his advocacy work on human rights issues for refugees in Australia through writing, speaking and work in the community.

Abul Hekmat is awarded the UTS Alumni Community Award 2012 for his advocacy and assistance to refugees in Australia through his humanitarian work and his work as an artist.

Christopher Johnson AM
Master of the Built Environment (1993)

Since graduating from UTS in 1993, Chris Johnson has had an illustrious career shaping the cities, not only of Australia, but of the world. His work has won him numerous accolades, including the Centenary Medal for service to public architecture (2002) and the award of Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for distinguished service to architecture (2012).

Chris has been an Adjunct Professor of Architecture at UTS (1999-2005), University of Sydney (1999-2005), University of NSW (2005-2007) and Practice Professor in the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Sydney (2005-2006).

Chris was the youngest President of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (NSW) from 1982 to 1984. He worked as an architect in the NSW Government Architects' Office, winning the Sulman Award in 1981 for his work on the Hampden Park Public School and a Merit Award for Colo High School also in 1981 . Chris was NSW Government Architect from 1995 to 2005 and became a member of the NSW Heritage Council and the Central Sydney Planning Committee during this period.

In 2005, Chris became Executive Director in the NSW Department of Planning, driving planning reform and new city centre plans for six cities. In 2011, Chris was appointed CEO of Urban Taskforce Australia and has executed a number of campaigns to help the ailing property industry. He established a new magazine titled Urban Ideas that profiles new initiatives to manage growth in Australia. Also in 2011 Chris won the prestigious Byera Hadley Travelling Scholarship to research the role of ‘Women Architects in Driving Slum Renewal in India'.

Christopher Johnson AM is awarded the UTS Alumni Award for Excellence 2012 - Faculty of Design, Architecture & Building for his passion for design and achievements in making real and practical changes to the built form delivering positive impacts for the community.

Mustafa Qadri
Bachelor of Arts (2002), Bachelor of Laws (2002), Graduate Certificate in Legal Practice (2003)

Mustafa Qadri is an internationally respected journalist and human rights advocate who began his career as a lawyer specialising in human rights and public international law, Mustafa worked on a pro bono basis at the Public Interest Advocacy Centre, Sydney (2002), followed by a move to the Australian Attorney-General's Department (2003-2006), where he worked as a solicitor on native title claims and international crime treaty negotiations.

In recent years Mustafa left his career as a government lawyer to pursue a vocation as a freelance journalist. He relocated to London to undertake further studies in international law and was research assistant to Philippe Sands QC. The relocation also allowed Mustafa to travel more easily to places like Israel, Palestine and Pakistan - all key locations for his investigative journalism and human rights reporting. His reputation as a journalist blossomed rapidly and he reported prolifically, principally on human rights, security and international relations.

Mustafa was the official Pakistan Correspondent for The Diplomat, New Matilda, and Radio National's Connect Asia program. He was a fortnightly contributor to The Guardian and has been published and broadcast in The LA Times, Public Radio International, Reuters AlertNet, DAWN newspaper (Pakistan's leading news publication), and The Australian. Mustafa also undertook  regular consultancy work on Pakistan for Human Rights Watch and the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London. During his time as a freelance journalist, Mustafa developed significant standing as a human rights researcher and activist.

Last year, Mustafa was appointed as Amnesty International (London's) Pakistan Researcher. This role involves lengthy periods of time in the field, interviewing individuals who have been affected by serious human rights abuses such as enforced disappearances and gender violence, and documenting the impact of the 'war on terror’ on human rights in Pakistan.

Mustafa Qadri is awarded the UTS International Alumni Award 2012, generously sponsored by UTS:INSEARCH, for his dedication to human rights awareness.

Sanjay Sridher
Master of Business in Information Technology Management (2006)

Sanjay Sridher is currently Executive Director with the Department of Finance and Services, NSW Government where he is leading a crosssector reform program that will result in significant service delivery improvements and transform the way the public sector will deliver its corporate services. Prior to July 2012, he was the Chief Executive of ServiceFirst, the NSW Government's provider of outsourced business solutions. During his time at Service First, Sanjay turned the business around from a loss-making operation into a client focused and financially­ sound entity.

To date, Sanjay’s career has afforded him the opportunity to lead business change across the public and private sectors in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, North and South America, India, Australia, and Southeast Asia.

Sanjay promotes and advocates on behalf of UTS's Master of Business in IT Management (MBITM) program and often describes his learning experience through the program as fundamental to his transformation in becoming a contemporary, values-based and innovative business leader. He actively contributes his time and resources to maintaining the quality of UTS's education programs, for example, providing his support in developing the future curriculum for the Undergraduate IT degree for UTS and in supporting the current MBITM program by providing his insight on leadership to the program's current cohort.

Sanjay Sridher is awarded the Alumni Award for Excellence 2012 - Faculty of Engineering & Information Technology for his significant and innovative programs of change that have helped transform the service sector.

Professor Caroline Homer
Master of Nursing (1997), Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (2001), Graduate Certificate in Higher Education (2002)

Professor Caroline Homer is one of Australia's leading midwives. She has worked in both clinical midwifery and in the academic setting as a researcher, teacher and leader. She is currently the Director of the Centre for Midwifery, Child and Family Health in the Faculty of Health at UTS and continues to provide continuity of midwifery care through St George Hospital. 

Caroline has led research into the development and implementation of innovative models of midwifery care and the development of midwifery practice and education. Other focus areas include the translation of research into clinical practice particularly in maternity care; clinical risk management strategies; and the development of educational strategies to prepare midwives for practice.

Currently Caroline sits on many international, national and state level advisory panels and task forces including the current Council of Deans of Nursing and Midwifery (Australia and NZ) Research Advisory Group; NSW Health Maternal and Perinatal Priority Taskforce; and the International Confederation of Midwives Research Standing Committee.

One of Caroline's major achievements has been the successful development of an AusAid funded project to transform midwifery care in Papua New Guinea [PNG] through targeting the education of midwives. This project is aimed at significantly improving maternal and child health in PNG.

Professor Caroline Homer is awarded the UTS Alumni Award for Excellence 2012 - Faculty of Health for her dedication to changing the face of midwifery care in Australia and internationally.

Dr Jeffrey Crass
Bachelor of Applied Science in Applied Chemistry (1978), Master of Applied Science in Chemical and Earth Sciences (Thesis) (1985), Graduate Diploma in Technical Education (1988), Doctor of Philosophy in Science (1996)

Dr Jeffrey Crass has over 20 years’ experience as a TAFE Teacher and TAFE Head Teacher particularly in the areas of applied science and the environment. In addition he has been a successful researcher in the fields of crystallography (at UTS) and in the environment and sustainability. His experience now ranges across all education sectors (school, vocational education and training, and higher education) locally and internationally.

In 2004, Jeffrey was appointed the Applied Science Faculty Director TAFE NSW - South Western Sydney Institute. His role saw him take responsibility for providing educational leadership to the Head Teachers of the Faculty, ensuring the delivery of quality, flexible vocational and educational training programs across the five campus locations in the Institute. The faculty course areas taught included; Chemistry & Forensic Science, Biology, Biomedical Science, Pathology, Polymer Technology, Biotechnology, Food & Pharmaceutical Technology, and Environmental Monitoring & Technology and Nanotechnology.

In his current role as (Foundation) Dean, TAFE NSW Higher Education, Jeffrey has overseen the successful registration of TAFE NSW Higher Education and the external accreditation of six degree programs in 2010-2011 for TAFE NSW Higher Education. Degree programs being delivered by TAFE in 2012 include: Interior Design, 30 Art and Animation, Financial Planning, Accounting, Early Childhood Education and Network Security.

Dr Jeffrey Crass is awarded the UTS Alumni Award for Excellence 2012 - Faculty of Science for his commitment to furthering science and education.

Brett Clegg
Bachelor of Business (1998)

Brett Clegg 'wowed' the business world when he was appointed CEO of Financial Review Group, making him the youngest CEO in the Publisher's 60 year history. The Group's portfolio includes the Financial Review, BRW, Smart Investor, Financial Review Magazine, BOSS, Capital, Sophisticated Traveller and Luxury.

Since Brett's appointment as CEO and Publisher in 2011, he has made many ground­breaking changes and improvements  to the Group including the launch of the Financial Review iPad app, which aims to ensure the Financial Review masthead meets the changing needs of its audiences in print, online, events and now tablet. The AFR App was recently awarded the Best Tablet App at the 2012 PAN PA awards. There are also plans to launch more apps in the next year for BRW and other titles in the Financial Review Group portfolio.

Brett was also responsible for the launch of Capital magazine, which has filled an information and news void within the investment banking community and has forged strong commercial partnerships with prestigious and powerful brands including Westpac (Women of Influence), Macquarie Group (Future Forum series), Nine Entertainment (Marketing & Media Outlook).

Brett Clegg is awarded the UTS Alumni Award for Excellence 2012 - UTS Business School for his outstanding contribution to business media in Australia.

Amy Wilkins
Bachelor of Arts in Human Movement Studies (2002)

While completing her degree in Human Movement Studies at UTS, Amy developed a children's fitness program for a local leisure centre where she met future business partner and husband, Scott Ehler. With a drive to succeed and a strong desire to help curb the growing trend toward childhood obesity, they established Active Kidz - a health and fitness TV show for kids. Active Kidz is an international television program, screening on the ABC and Nickelodeon in Australia and on the Disney Channel in New Zealand and Asia.

Amy (with her business partner Scott) is an award-winning music writer and business owner. She was twice a finalist in the Telstra Young Business Women's Award and was named Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2005. She is featured in the book 'Secrets of Young Achievers Exposed' and is also a national Heart Foundation Ambassador, Juvenile Diabetes Ambassador and most recently an Australia Day Ambassador.

Amy has also been a regular editorial contributor to many magazines and newspapers such as The Sun Herald and K-Zone, and has featured on TV programs such as Sunrise, Today Show, Sarvo, Hot Source, and Saturday Disney.

As the co-director of Active Star Productions, Amy has produced Active Kidz Series 2 (featured on Nickelodeon Australia) and the Active Kidz Work It' DVD special. She has also co-produced many corporate fitness DVD's for both children and adults.

Amy is currently working on several new health-related television concepts for children and adults. She has a passion for educating families and children to get active - "My goal is to empower everyone to make healthier choices".

Amy Wilkins is awarded the UTS Young Alumni Award 2012 for her commitment to and innovation in improving child health and fitness.